We live with change. A sports team becomes a winning team through the consistent and persistent application of proven principles applied pragmatically. The sports team trains differently, skills up, varies the plays and nurtures the players, brings new leadership, and takes time to resolve, rather than the magic wand or panacea or the one size fits all approach. The wining team comes from the emergent behavior of empowered emotional individuals who have ownership. They have pride in who they are and what they do and do things differently because the interests and values are aligned. The leadership works best when they were the change they wished to see and treated others as they themselves would be treated. The environment was changed, behaviors were instilled, and outcomes are achieved.
Managing the COVID-19 global pandemic showed similar patterns. The importance of crafting and shaping emergent behaviors in bringing the change was seen. It was the actions of empowered individuals with ownership which was required to contain the spread of the virus (individuals washed hands, social distanced, wore a mask, and volunteered for testing). The response was emotional, but people changed what they did because interests and values were aligned. People responded to leadership which guided and made decisions, especially when the leaders were the change they wished to see and treated others as they themselves would be treated. The efforts of people were recognized, issues were explained, the impacts understood, and help and support were provided. People responded and helped those around them. People were taken on a journey of change; efforts were made to get the best from people, with adoption and adaption to circumstance.
In COVID-19, the environment was changed, behaviors were instilled, and outcomes were achieved through the emergent behavior of individuals over time. We responded differently according to our experiences and views, but overall, we responded when our interests and values were aligned. We were accepting when mistakes were made, because we saw the adoption and adaption to circumstance. Budgets and resources were required. The impacts had to be managed and a multitude of approaches, which varied according to circumstance, were used. The combination of Ambiguity Management, Messaging, Empowered Emotional Ownership, Decision Making, Leadership, and Interests and Values alignment (AMEDLI) was seen to bring the change and sustain the change for responding to COVID-19.
Both the sports team and COVID-19 show how change is achieved. These same principles applied pragmatically bring changes to teams, organizations, or countries. From the transformation of business, to making changes in response to costs or regulatory changes, or a business trying to undergo digital transformation, bringing change requires people to do things differently. We know how to do this, and the change is enabled through supporting “I do good work, change is coming, help me with the change, and I can do more.” The next step is with us. Do we want to fix the pipes and help people (make the decisions necessary and take the required actions)?